I recently read an article by Pastor Dr Gary Linton stating the average Christian (American, I assume), prays less than 10 minutes a day, and realized I was one of them. I needed to find out why since the Apostle Paul urges us to pray without ceasing in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 and that we sin if we don’t in 1 Samuel 12:23.
I did some soul searching and found the following main reasons why I don’t pray as much as I ought. Foremost among them was I had left my first love for Christ just as the church of Ephesus had in Revelation 2:4. I remember how passionate I was for Jesus when I first accepted Him as my Lord and Savior in April 1970. Then, I loved spending time talking to Him, which in turn set me on fire for the gospel. I remember going to villages in Bentong, Pahang, telling all and sundry the Good News, without any fear.
Being discouraged and disappointed with seemingly unanswered prayers was next on my list. Why pray when God either did not or could not be bothered? I quickly realized God does care in 1 Peter 5:7 and when I recall how God had so amazingly answered some prayers, both mine as well as others, I knew that was just a flimsy excuse.
Sharing how God answers prayer is one way we can obey the exhortation in Hebrews 10 to encourage one another. A real reason was that I lacked discipline. Not setting fixed times for prayer meant I only prayed when I had the time and invariably that meant very little time indeed. Consciously scheduling meetings with God is the surest way to pray more. In addition to setting private prayer meetings, it is also very effective to set a time for prayer with at least another person. You then are accountable to each other to keep these dates with God.
Finally, when there is sin in me, I find less desire to pray. The devil accuses me of my unfaithfulness and often succeeds in convincing me God is disappointed, distancing me even further from God. But I thank God for assuring me sinning against him is nothing new and that He stands ready to forgive and purify me from all unrighteousness when I seek His forgiveness. 1 John 1:8-9.
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